It was September 1st, and Harry Potter graced the cover of the Daily Prophet alongside recently appointed Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The article announced Harry's decision to enter the Auror training program. Daphne felt a smile tug at her lips as she watched a head with red hair craning itself into the edge of the photo. Ronald Weasley had also decided to enter the program, a one line mention buried within the article.

Harry was, unsurprisingly, the face of Shacklebolt's proclamation that students who fought in the final battle could enter Auror training without their N.E.W.T.s. Other former seventh year students were offered a path into the Ministry, as an alternative to returning to Hogwarts, after the war had disrupted their education.

As of yesterday, Daphne had decided to accept the offer as well.

She looked up and saw her father, William Greengrass, across the table surveying his own copy of the Prophet. Her father was farther into the paper. Based on the pages she could see gripped in his hand, he was most likely reading the article on Hogwarts' reopening.

To her left was Astoria, who was fixated on the breakfast in front of her. Astoria had greeted their parents upon entry to the dining room and sat gracefully at her place as she did every morning. Daphne didn't think they had noticed anything off.

However, Daphne saw through her front. Astoria had yet to acknowledge her presence, whether it was upon her arrival or as she made requests for various items to be passed to her, refusing to even glance in her direction-behavior characteristic of any sixteen-year-old girl who was mad at her sister.

Despite knowing that Astoria would continue to ignore her, Daphne shot her knowing or intent looks whenever she could. Her sister was put out by the fact that Daphne was choosing not to return to Hogwarts this year with her.

Astoria excused herself from the table, informing their parents that she needed to ensure that she'd packed everything before they left for King's Cross.

Daphne was still staring after her when she heard a strange sound come from her father. She looked back at him quizzically.

Her father looked towards her, an anxious look on his face. Her mother, Agnes, leaned over to see what had caught his attention before developing her own look of concern.

"What is it?" She was just about to reach for her own paper to see when her mother spoke.

"Daphne, why don't you see if your sister needs any help getting ready?"

Daphne looked over and noted they were looking at the last page - the society section. Despite her parents' protests, she turned her paper to the last page. It didn't take her long to find what had unsettled them: a photo of Blaise Zabini cozied up next to some brunette with a connection to the Italian Minister. Her stomach churned as she placed the paper face down on the table. The image sliced through each attempt to push it from her mind. Sitting back, Daphne met her parent's stares of pity. Abruptly excusing herself, she moved out of the room as quickly as she could go.

Rebuild and reform had been the focal point of the wizarding world ever since the Battle of Hogwarts. Though her family hadn't been involved as Death Eaters, neither had they pledged any public allegiance to the winning side. The Greengrasses were simply grateful their family had escaped the war safe and unscathed. Many of the other pureblood families in their social circle couldn't say the same.

Everyone was adjusting to a new and changing world. Daphne had expected that her boyfriend of two years, Blaise, would be someone who, in addition to her family, she could count on.

However, shortly after the war ended, he'd broken up with her. The war had left him thinking a lot about his life and his future, and he felt like he needed to, 'find himself.' Of course, in his line of thinking, there was not a way for him to fully do this if he was tied down to someone. The image in the Prophet was simply one instance of many in his 'journey.' The abrupt change left a noticeable void; one that she struggled to cope with in the weeks after it happened. She eventually transitioned from wallowing to distraction. Wandering into their conservatory one morning, she began to shadow her mother's work. Previously, an area of disinterest, she welcomed the comfort and solitude she found from it.

Astoria had barely left her side in the aftermath of her breakup. They'd made a plan to return to Hogwarts together; Astoria had confided in Daphne about her apprehension of what returning to school would be like after the war. Knowing that Daphne would be with her was reassuring.

Then, Shacklebolt's announcement came. Daphne had initially brushed it off; she'd already committed to go back to school. It wasn't until brunch with Pansy and Tracey that she began to contemplate otherwise. The three friends had gotten together a few weeks before Daphne was set to return. Tracey had chosen to pursue a track through the Ministry and Pansy was looking to open a shop in Diagon.

"I'm surprised you want to go back. You hated school," Pansy quipped as she sipped her tea. Daphne couldn't identify the tug to her conscience when Tracey shared about her upcoming orientation schedule.

That night, she went home and sorted back through her textbooks, inventorying the classes she'd be retaking. Daphne had been rubbish at most subjects; she hadn't even gotten a good enough score on her O.W.L.s to get into N.E.W.T. level Potions.

With September 1st a week away, Daphne sat down with her parents to review materials she'd received from the Ministry. The DMLE had a few entry-level positions in the Herbology Division, which fielded consultations from Aurors whenever there was an intersection on a case. Despite the timing, her parents were supportive of whatever decision she made.

She chose the Ministry.

She'd been terrified to tell Astoria but the opportunity was forced upon her when her sister arrived in her room, confused by the pristine state of everything.

"Where is your trunk? Have you even started packing?"

Astoria had been so upset she'd holed herself up in her room and refused to speak with Daphne or come out the rest of the day.

Resigned, Daphne had returned to her own room, keeping the door ajar in the event that Astoria might change her mind and want to talk.

She was due to begin her new position a few days after Astoria left. Daphne sat down at her desk and began to fill out the paperwork the Ministry had sent over in preparation for her first day. Halfway through, she ran out of ink, and when she opened her desk drawer to grab a new bottle, she stilled as her eyes drifted over a photo of her and Blaise. It lay atop others from the course of their relationship. She'd already collected the blatant reminders of him and stuffed them all away; however, glancing back at her desk, she noticed a few other trinkets that had been gifts from him that she had been uncertain about keeping.

Now seemed like as good a time as any to finally purge the remaining memories of him.

Daphne flicked her wand to Conjure a box. She proceeded to collect the items and photos around from her room to place in it. Moving over to her closet, she walked through the large, open space where her clothes hung against the wall. She sifted through them to find any items that he may have given her. However, Daphne stilled when her eye caught a small, fabric box resting low on an adjacent shoe shelf. After a few moments staring at it in contemplation, she bent down to run her fingers along its edges before popping the clasp open.

The box contained three letters - 'love' letters that she'd written over the years in school in response to pestering crushes that she'd wanted an outlet for. Picking up the letters, Draco Malfoy's name was written across the one on top. It was third year and her first crush.

Being in the same house with him had made it a constant distraction. Then, the whole Buckbeak incident happened, and it became glaringly apparent that Daphne was not the only one pining after the blond-haired boy.

Seeking to prevent the crush from complicating her relationship with Pansy, she wrote the letter as a form of closure and found the fabric box to lock it away in. That was the beginning of her habit.

Flipping to the next one, her heart stopped for a moment as she looked upon the name: Harry Potter. A familiar weight passed through her. She recalled the anxiety that used to plague her after an afternoon in fourth year that had sent her into a confusing whirl.

Whatever had possessed Snape and McGonagall to pair Gryffindors and Slytherins for Yule Ball dance lessons was a mystery to her.

Daphne had been paired with Harry. She'd grown up learning ballroom dancing, and her talent had not been compatible with his novice performance. They danced together both literally and metaphorically. They'd talk over each other accidentally and study the other's reactions. After all, their pairing had seemed doomed from the start, whether that be due to the animosity between their houses, their differing backgrounds, or most importantly, the fact that her friends constantly bullied him and his friends.

At the end of it all, despite the awkwardness, she couldn't deny how incredibly kind Harry was. Of course, he'd stepped on her toes so often that she'd had to soak her feet in a bath that evening. However, he'd nervously muttered an apology each time it happened, and by the end of the long lesson, her face would flush from his attention.

Her interest lingered despite the fact that they had no further interactions after that occasion. She was plagued by involuntary flutters forming in her stomach whenever they'd have classes together or she'd catch a glimpse of him in the Great Hall. Given their differences, her feelings felt forbidden, and it would have been detrimental if anyone had found out about them. After that letter had made its way into the box, Daphne started using stronger locking spells to make sure no one could get in.

The last letter was Blaise's. At the time she'd written it, she'd never imagined that her feelings would be returned. Just a few months later, he would ask her out, and their relationship would come to last years.

Daphne stood, grasping the letters for a long time. All of them reflected moments that, at the time, had felt important. Did she really need to continue to hang on to them though? This was an opportunity to start fresh. She could either keep them or take the opportunity to purge them along with the items she'd collected.

A pop disturbed her train of thought. One of the house-elves informing her that her mother needed her.

Distracted, Daphne placed the letters back into the box and set off to meet her mother.

Thankfully, Astoria did not object to Daphne tagging along to the train station but she said nothing to her before stepping onto the Hogwarts Express. At that point, her parents seemed to notice that something was up, but Daphne brushed off their inquiries. While they were close, they were not immune to the occasional sibling fight.

Daphne was resigned to think that her sister would come around once she got back into a normal routine at school, but until then she'd simply need to wait.

Daphne's first day at the Ministry had gone better than expected. One of her main responsibilities was processing the intake of cases that were referred to their branch. It was surreal being in her first job and no longer a student. She'd been afraid that she would miss the familiar feeling of school, but she found that working was an easy transition and she enjoyed the freedom.

At the end of the day, she joined the rest of the Ministry personnel as they made their way to the exits to return home. Stepping out of a crowded lift, she made her way through the atrium. She looked down momentarily to adjust something in her bag, and as a result, she was too distracted to notice that someone was walking towards her. By the time she looked up, they had almost collided. As she jumped, she felt an arm lightly on her shoulder to help stabilize her.

She stared up into green eyes behind round, thick rimmed glasses. She'd almost walked right into Harry Potter.

"Oh, excuse me," Daphne said, placing her hand over her heart which was pounding after the surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I saw you listed in the directory so I thought I might be able to catch you before you left for the day."

Daphne furrowed her brow when she registered Harry's words. She wasn't sure what would possess him to track her down. She glanced around and then back to him just to make sure that he wasn't referring to someone else.

"Were… were you looking for me?"

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes. I, uh, got your letter."

Her brows furrowed deeper. A letter? She hadn't written him a letter.

"Listen, I am flattered," He held his arm out towards her in what she suspected was a display of earnestness. "I was honestly surprised though, I didn't realize that moment left such an impression on you. I know I was a terrible dancer… I was really sorry about your feet… of course, you were very kind too-"

As he spoke, Harry glanced in a new direction as each thought came to him. Daphne's eyebrows narrowed as she tried to follow along. There was an eerie feeling nagging at her as the exchange progressed.

"-I just got out of a relationship with Ginny, and I heard that you're recently single as well. I'm not sure if-"

Daphne lost all brain function when, at that moment, she watched as Harry lifted up an envelope to glance at as he rambled on. She knew that letter. A chill rushed through her veins as she realized what Harry was referring to. As he continued on, his words became increasingly incoherent. That letter had been in her closet only a few days ago, and she couldn't begin to comprehend how it now resided in Harry Potter's hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the incoming fireplaces flare green. To her horror, Blaise stepped out of it. What was he doing here? She hadn't seen him in months since they broke up.

Her panic surged as he walked further into the lobby and she saw a familiar envelope in his hand as well. She would bet all of the Galleons in her family's Gringotts vault that it was the exact letter she thought it was.

Blaise halted his steps upon noticing that she was standing a few feet away from him. He'd come to seek her out, and there she was.

A plan-she coached her mind to come up with a plan.

Think, think, Daphne.

Talking to Blaise was the last thing she wanted to do, and now she wanted to completely disappear. He held in his hand a letter she'd written at fifteen, full of teenage angst, and he'd probably read it as some desperate plea to get back together.

It was then that her gaze returned to Harry, who was still standing in front of her rambling away. Now, he seemed to be reciting some nonsense list of all the reasons why it didn't make sense for him to be getting involved with someone right now. It was a bit pathetic, if not slightly adorable, just how much he'd appeared to rehearse this moment to let her down easy.

She caught hold of a faint idea. When she glanced briefly over Harry's shoulder, she saw Blaise had begun walking towards her again-towards them .

Looking back to Harry, she made a split-second decision. Throwing her bag to the ground, Daphne reached up and grabbed the sides of his face in her hands. She registered the surprised confusion in his eyes as she hoisted herself up to smash her lips against his.

When she opened one eye slightly to peak back in Blaise's direction, she saw that he had stopped walking, completely flabbergasted by what he was witnessing.

Daphne moved her lips slightly against Harry's petrified ones for maximum effect. It wasn't until she registered sporadic flashes that she remembered that they were in the public, and she had chosen to lock lips with Harry Potter, one of the most famous wizards in history. Of course, that would draw significant attention. If someone had gotten photos, it would surely end up in the Prophet.

A jolt of panic shot through her, and she detached her lips from his. She whispered a hurried apology to Harry and then scurried past a stunned Blaise and an audience of Ministry personnel that had still been on their way home for the evening.

She went to the first fireplace that was open and walked straight into the Greengrass Manor, dashing towards her bedroom. When she arrived in her closet, she found her box and upon opening it, her worst nightmare was confirmed. It wasn't simply some alternative reality or daydream she'd just experienced-it was all real. All of her letters were gone which meant that somehow, they'd been sent.

She collapsed to the ground and tried to think of how this could have happened. How could they have been sent? Who had entered her room? Who besides herself even knew about them? It was at that moment that she stilled with realization.

Astoria.

Her sister was the only person she had ever told about the letters. Astoria must have grabbed them the evening before she'd left for Hogwarts and mailed them in her anger.

Daphne's panic began to seep into rage as she picked herself up and headed straight for the owlery to write her sister a vicious howler.